Abstract

If there is one ethical concept considered to be central to human social life it is the idea of justice. Although there are several competing principles of justice, the core concept of justice embodies the obligation to treat like cases alike, in relevant respects. Women may differ from men in some respects, but the fact that women get sick, become injured, and die from preventable causes renders them similar to men in the need to carry out biomedical research, develop therapies, and attend to health problems specific to women. An ethical perspective on women’s health begins and ends with principles of justice. Although particular circumstances and conditions differ in developed and less developed countries, the ethical conclusions regarding justice are the same for women in all societies.